TOPICAL TRENDS

Sunday, 2 June 2013

BBC have announced Matt Smith's departure will take place after he appears in
the 50th anniversary and the 2013 Christmas special. Smith first stepped
into the TARDIS in 2010. Steven Moffat, lead writer and executive
producer on "Doctor Who," praised Smith's work on the long-running
series."[G]reat actors always know when it's time for the curtain call, so
this Christmas prepare for your hearts to break, as we say goodbye to
number Eleven. Thank you Matt -- bow ties were never cooler," he said.
"Of course, this isn't the end of the story, because now the search
begins. Somewhere out there right now -- all unknowing, just going about
their business -- is someone who's about to become the Doctor. A life
is going to change, and 'Doctor Who' will be born all over again! After
50 years, that's still so exciting!"“I am very happy doing it. I go and I do the anniversary special, then I
go away for a bit. Then I come back and I do the Christmas special.
It's sort of one of those jobs that you have to take year by year really
because it's 10 months a year. It's all-consuming so I don't think you
can plan five, six years ahead or even two years ahead," Smith said on
Jonathan Ross’s show in March 2013. "At the moment, it’s 2013 and we
will see what 2014 holds."Now, it's official. Smith said "Doctor Who" was "the most brilliant
experience" thanks to the cast, crew and fans. "I'm incredibly grateful
to all the cast and crew who work tirelessly every day, to realize all
the elements of the show and deliver 'Doctor Who' to the audience. Many
of them have become good friends and I'm incredibly proud of what we
have achieved over the last four years."Having Steven Moffat as showrunner write such varied, funny,
mind-bending and brilliant scripts has been one of the greatest and most
rewarding challenges of my career," Smith continued in a statement.
"It's been a privilege and a treat to work with Steven, he's a good
friend and will continue to shape a brilliant world for the Doctor."Smith praised the fans of "Doctor Who" for being "unlike any other" for their dedication to the series.

Thursday, 16 June 2011

Soon after the Vancouver Canucks lost game 7 of the Stanley Cup hockey series to the Boston Bruins, rioting broke out. As the violence became more intense, we found numerous pictures on photo-sharing sites such as Twitpic and yfrog.

A car was set on fire, a truck was flipped over, and when police entered the area of downtown Vancouver with full riot gear, crazed fans were throwing beer bottles and shoes at their plastic shields, according to CTV News.

As the rioting intensified, so did the volume of user content on Twitter and Facebook. Even the Vancouver Police Department used Twitter to express its disappointment, tweeting, “So sad watching our #VPD cars on fire and how quickly people can turn from law abiding to law breaking. #canucksriot.”

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

The year's first total eclipse of the moon will last an unusually long time, a rare celestial treat for a wide swath of the globe.

Except if you're in the United States and Canada. North America will be left out of Wednesday's lunar spectacle, which will be visible from start to finish from eastern Africa, central Asia, the Middle East and western Australia – weather permitting.

The period when Earth's shadow completely blocks the moon – known as totality – will last a whopping 1 hour and 40 minutes. The last time the moon was covered for this long was in July 2000, when it lasted 7 minutes longer than that.

The full moon normally glows from reflected sunlight. A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon glides through the long shadow cast by the Earth and is blocked from the sunlight that illuminates it.

As the moon plunges deeper into the Earth's shadow, the disk will appear to gradually change color, turning from silver to orange or red. This is because some indirect sunlight still reaches the moon after passing through the Earth's atmosphere, which scatters blue light. Only red light strikes the moon, giving it an eerie crimson hue.

It's difficult to predict the exact shade the moon will take, which will depend on how much dust and clouds are in the atmosphere during the eclipse.

Since the moon will pass close to the center of the Earth's shadow, the total eclipse phase will be longer than usual, said NASA eclipse expert Fred Espenak at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland.

The entire eclipse will last a little over 5 1/2 hours. Observers in Europe will miss the first part of the show because it will occur before the moon rises. Eastern Asia and eastern Australia won't catch the final stages, which will happen after the moon sets. Portions of South America will be able see the moon entirely shrouded.

Unlike solar eclipses, lunar eclipses are safe to watch with the naked eye.

Keith Gleason, who runs the Sommers-Bausch Observatory in Boulder, Colo., is disappointed that he will not have a ringside seat to the upcoming eclipse. The last total lunar eclipse visible from the U.S. occurred on Dec. 21, 2010, which coincided with winter solstice and was widely observed. Some 1,400 people showed up for a viewing party at the observatory.

"We had an absolutely glorious time," he said.

The next total lunar eclipse will fall on Dec. 10 with best viewing from Asia and Australia. The moon will be completely blotted out for 51 minutes. Only parts of the U.S. including Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest will catch a glimpse.

The rest of the continental U.S. will have to wait until April 15, 2014 to witness a total lunar eclipse.

Monday, 13 June 2011

Here are some interesting facts about Flag Day in the United States, now celebrated every June 14th.

-There have been 27 different versions of the Star-Spangled Banner. The present flag bearing 50 stars became the country's official flag on July 4, 1960.-The idea of celebrating the flag's birthday dates to June 14, 1889 when George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned flag appreciation ceremonies for the children of his school. His idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York and it grew from there.-Many communities and a few states had celebrated Flag Day from around 1861 at the start of the American Civil War. However, it was not until 1916 that President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as a national Flag Day, celebrating the adoption of the Stars and Stripes.

-Congressional legislation was signed by President Harry Truman in 1949 designating June 14 as National Flag Day. The law also called upon the president to issue a Flag Day proclamation every year.

-The flag's name, "Old Glory," purportedly came from Captain William Driver, a shipmaster from Salem, Massachusetts. His friends gave him a brand new flag of 24 stars. As the banner was hoisted above his ship and caught the breeze, Driver exclaimed "Old Glory!"